


Intermission

by fallenhurricane



Series: TSC Challenge [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Theatre, Early Relationship, I barely edited this, M/M, alec has a crush, izzy likes to help, legally blonde the musical, listen.... listen idk what this is, magnus also has a crush, no betas we die like men, or do i deserve it, please don't roast me, stage crew alec, theater kid magnus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:27:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25044613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallenhurricane/pseuds/fallenhurricane
Summary: When Alec’s parents had divorced and his mother had packed up her life along with his, Izzy’s, Jace’s, and Max’s, Alec was… upset to say the least. He loved his life in New York and moving in the middle of his senior year because his father had had an affair was not high on things he wanted to do. Another thing that was not high on that list was working tech crew for his new school’s spring musical.But then Izzy was cast as Brooke Wyndham and she didn’t have a car to drive home after rehearsal every day and Jace was on the baseball team so he couldn’t help and Izzy begged Alec and the guy playing Emmett was so hot…So here he is.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: TSC Challenge [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1813834
Comments: 3
Kudos: 88





	Intermission

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pinstripedJackalope](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinstripedJackalope/gifts).



> I don't know what this is I'm SORRY.
> 
> This is all @pinstripedJackalope's fault. We started an AU challenge! They also have a fic going up, so go check it out! (And they explained the rules of this challenge better than I could so.)

“Alec? You’re drooling.” 

Alec whirls around, releasing his grip on the thick rope next to him. It springs up a tiny bit, and the pulley above it shudders. Izzy’s smirking at him, her face caked in stage makeup and wearing a loose orange jumpsuit. 

“I am not,” Alec says, but he swipes his sleeve over his mouth just in case. “I’m just, uh. Getting ready for intermission.”

Izzy snorts. “Intermission isn't for, like, three scenes.” She reaches out and pats him on the shoulder, and Alec rolls his eyes at her. “It’s okay, you can admit that you like what you see.”

“Shut up.”

“Only because you asked so nicely.”

Alec waits until his sister has gone further into the wing before turning back to the stage. Izzy’s right, they have another song and a half until intermission, plus a short scene and two set changes. He has no reason to be so close to the curtain pull. But. Can anyone blame him for being a little distracted? The school’s star is on stage at this very moment, dressed for their last rehearsal in much too large trousers and an oversized sports coat, and he looks absolutely stunning. Also, he’s singing. And Alec may be in love with his voice. 

When Alec’s parents had divorced and his mother had packed up her life along with his, Izzy’s, Jace’s, and Max’s, Alec was… upset to say the least. He loved his life in New York and moving in the middle of his senior year because his father had had an affair was  _ not  _ high on things he wanted to do. Another thing that was not high on that list was working tech crew for his new school’s spring musical. 

But then Izzy was cast as Brooke Wyndham and she didn’t have a car to drive home after rehearsal every day and Jace was on the baseball team so he couldn’t help and Izzy  _ begged  _ Alec and the guy playing Emmett was so hot…

So here he is. 

It’s been three months of rehearsals and Emmett ( _ his name is Magnus, dammit _ , Alec reminds himself) has just gotten better and better and could probably play Elle Woods himself, if matters depended on it, and look damn good doing it (as it stands, Helen is playing Elle, but like… Alec can just tell that Magnus would be really excellent as any character, okay?). But Alec hasn’t been able to endear himself to Magnus at all. In three months. And the first actual performance was tomorrow night with three following over the weekend and then, come Monday, Alec would have no reason to see Magnus anymore (he had come to realize, belatedly, perhaps, that they shared no classes  _ or  _ their lunch period, which, quite frankly, was just cruel). 

Alec sighs and turns his head back to the stage just as Magnus is moving into the final line of the song. It’s like music to his ears. Well. Better than music. Like angel’s singing. Or something. Whatever. 

“Hey,” comes a voice from behind him, and he looks over his shoulder to see another member of the stage crew, a girl he hasn’t spent much time with, but who painted a lot of the sets. He thinks her name is Carrie? Maybe? Her shockingly red hair is much easier to remember than her name, all things considered. “Ready for the set change?”

Alec’s eyes drift over to the large wooden cut out of a mobile trailer set off to the side. “Yeah,” he replies. He and Clary move over and each grip a side of the set piece and wait until Magnus finishes the last note he’s holding and the stage lights dim. A small group of stage crew members pop out from the other wing and carry off the Harvard set and Alec and Clary get moving. Raj runs out with a trash can and a piece of sheer fabric with trash and debris attached to it. The trailer is set slightly to stage right, with the trash can next to it, the fabric spread along the stage floor. Andrew moves to stand behind the trailer, dressed in a grubby tank top and boxers and carrying a large stuffed bulldog. Clary turns and jogs quietly back to the wing and as Alec follows, he bumps into Magnus, who has turned his eyes to the floor as he finds his next mark. 

“Sorry,” Alec whispers, but Magnus just sends him a kind smile and raises his hand in apology. Alec’s heart thumps heavily, rapidly, and he ignores it as best he can as he stalks quickly to the wing. Izzy’s watching him, grinning, when he gets back to his spot. “Shut  _ up. _ ”

****

Opening night arrives in a flurry of tickets and programs and two dollar concessions in the school lobby. Alec is standing around backstage with the other stage hands as the cast members prepare in the dressing rooms down a nearby hall. Clary’s doodling something in her sketchbook and Raj is telling some story that Alec is only pretending to listen to. He’s relieved when Izzy pops out of the hallway connecting to the dressing rooms and grabs his arm. “Come with me,” she says, and tugs him into the hall.

Alec furrows his brow but lets her drag him. “Izzy, wha-” but before he can finish, she’s opened the door to the men’s dressing room and shoves him in with a smile. Alec stares at the door for a moment, confused, but spins when someone clears their throat.

Magnus. He stands across the room, near a vanity, already in costume and makeup. His hair is free of its normal faux-hawk and instead parted neatly on one side and combed loosely back. He’s in another too big sports coat and ill-fitting trousers that reach the toes of his Converse, and he’s missing the glitter and jewelry that he donned before dress rehearsals began. His smile is gentle and his voice soft as he says, “Hi.”

Alec knows his eyes are wide, and he can feel the heat creeping up his neck. He’s glad the rest of the room is empty - which, how? - as he backs up a little and his back hits the door. “H-hey.” 

Magnus’s smile falls as Alec wrings his hands in front of him. “I don’t…” he pauses to clear his throat again and his gaze darts to the floor before he meets Alec’s eyes again. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I didn’t even think-”

Ah, shit. “No,” Alec interrupts. “I’m not… okay, I am, but it’s not a bad thing,” he says, sputtering slightly. When Magnus’s lips twitch, he lets out a breath and runs a hand over the back of his head. “What… uh, why did Izzy bring me here?” His eyes flick around the room - the bright lights on the vanities that line one wall, the open wardrobes along the other, the backpacks and sneakers scattered along the floor - before landing on the top of Magnus’s head. Meeting his eyes, which Alec has just realized are the deepest, richest shade of brown, is just too difficult. 

“I wanted to talk to you,” Magnus says easily, and Alec’s face grows hotter. 

“...Why?”

Alec sees Magnus glance at the clock above the vanities, and takes a peek himself. They have half an hour until places. Magnus takes a step forward and Alec watches, motionless. He wonders, briefly, if this is what an antelope feels like when it sees a lioness about to attack. “You’re new this year.”

“Yeah.”

“And we don’t have any classes together.” Another step.

“No.”

Magnus pauses a few feet away and smiles and Alec finally meets his eyes. They’re shining in the fluorescent room. “So I just… wanted to get to know you better. I’m sorry it’s taken me three months to say anything, but-”

“Better late than never,” Alec blurts out. He resists the urge to clap a hand over his mouth, because, fuck, he’s  _ embarrassing  _ himself, but then Magnus laughs, loud and bright.   
  
“Exactly.”

They stand there silently for a moment, simply looking at each other. Alec feels like he’s allowed to now, maybe, and his eyes rove over the planes of Magnus’s face, his strong jaw and his smooth skin, even as he has stage makeup coating his face. It feels weird, staring at him so openly after months of covert glances and watching him from the shadows backstage. At the same time, he can sense Magnus’s eyes on him, and he wonders what he thinks. Perhaps, one day, he can ask him. 

“So…” Alec begins, not sure where this sentence is heading. He scratches his cheek. Magnus is smiling at him encouragingly. “You’ve been, uh, really good. Brilliant, I mean. Y’know, out there, as… as Emmett.” 

Magnus laughs again, and Alec grins. He thinks he could get used to that sound - it’s almost as melodic as Magnus’s singing. “Thank you.” He gestures to his costume and tugs at the sleeves of his coat. “I’m not a huge fan of the costume, though.” 

“I mean,” Alec clears his throat, “there’s the, uh, shopping scene. You look pretty great there.” He quickly averts his gaze, but looks back just in time to see Magnus’s face redden. He preens a little.

“Thank you, Alexander,” Magnus says, voice even softer than it had been earlier, and Alec’s heart nestles tightly in his throat, nearly causing him to choke.  _ Nobody _ calls him Alexander. Not his mother, his father, any of his siblings or relatives… he’d never been okay with anyone calling him Alexander. But coming out of Magnus’s mouth, it sounds right. 

Alec opens his mouth, about to say as much, when there’s a sharp knock on the door. 

“Are you guys done in there? I need to finish getting dressed.”

Magnus and Alec meet each other’s eyes and crack matching grins.

****

Opening night had gone off without a hitch (except for when Lydia tripped over her jump rope during “Whipped Into Shape”), and now it was Saturday. There are two performances today, one at noon and one at 7pm, and everyone involved is ready for it to be a long day. Alec’s packed himself and Izzy a few granola bars, bottles of water, and energy drinks (despite how much he loathes them) just to keep himself awake. 

It’s not like he spent most of last night thinking about Magnus and their talk in the dressing room, or the way Magnus had hip-bumped him during intermission, or the way he’d asked Alec for help fixing his hair before the final scene, or the way he’d given Alec one of the flowers that his friend Catarina had brought for him when they bumped into each other in the parking lot before heading home.

_ Anyway _ . 

The matinee is going smoothly so far, and it’s nearly intermission (actually, this time. Like it really is almost intermission) so Alec is standing near the curtain pull, just waiting for the stage lights to dim and the music to die down. He knows his cue. It’s the end of the scene where Elle finds out she got the internship. 

And it’s because he knows his cue that he doesn’t feel bad about blatantly watching Magnus as he points to the board on the Harvard set, pinches Helen, and then quietly makes his way off-stage, heading towards Alec’s wing. Alec smiles at him and goes back to watching Helen sing. But before he knows what’s happening, he’s being shoved against the wall behind him. His eyes widen as Magnus grips his shoulders and leans in quickly and without warning. 

And then they’re kissing. Alec relaxes as Magnus presses against him, his lips soft and his body warm. He faintly hears quiet golf claps coming from further backstage and he raises a hand to flip off whoever it is before his hands settle on Magnus’s waist.

Magnus pulls back after a long moment, and Alec can do nothing but stare at him, grinning widely. Magnus is smiling back and _I can get used to that_ , Alec thinks.

“...than before!” 

The stage lights flicker out. 

Alec spins, pulling the rope and swinging the heavy velvet curtains closed as Magnus laughs behind him. 

And yeah. He could get used to this.

**Author's Note:**

> Also uhhh for references for the specific scenes I highly recommend checking out the Legally Blonde: The Musical pro-shot that's available on YouTube. (Also I recommend the whole thing because it's just good.)


End file.
